Final Fantasy (novel adaptation)
by Jake A. Strife
Summary: I decided I would adapt video games into novels for fun. This is Final Fantasy I.
1. Chapter 0 - Prologue

Final Fantasy - Chapter 00 - Prologue

_A great darkness shrouded the world..._

_ The wind died._

_ The sea raged._

_ The earth began to decay._

_ Only a prophecy kept hope alive in people's hearts_

_ "When the darkness veils the world four warriors of light will come."_

_ After journeying far at last four young warriors did appear_

_ Each holding in their hand, a mysterious crystal._


	2. Chapter 1 - Warrior - Leaving Home

Final Fantasy - Chapter 01 (Leaving Home)

I had grown up afraid of such storms. Ones where lightning struck and ravaged the land as if some great beast tearing away at the world's flesh. The difference between the ones in the past and the one at that moment. The old ones were the stuff of nightmares...and these... the ones roaring outside my window, were real and in the moment.

Still, at seventeen years old I still feared those storms, the booming thunder, the snaking lightning. And the howling wind too, but this time there wasn't any. There hadn't been any wind in over a month, not even the slightest gust.

Laying in my bed that night, I had the sheets up to my nose, I clutched an heirloom in my hands. A deep red crystal, the warmth of which would keep me safe. At the very least it made me _feel_ safe. That night, like every night since the wind died, it was glowing warm, causing my palms to sweat.

The crystal had been in my possession for several years. On my birthday, Father parted with the beloved crystal his father gave him, and gave it to me.

Outside a sudden explosion ripped through the sky and for a moment, in the dense downpour I spotted a shadow, the shadow of a foul humanoid creature with blue skin, a long clawed arm and golden horns curling out of its head. Then as lightning illuminated the night I could see that there was no monster outside, it was in fact my father. He was wearing his blue tinted armor. His long golden hair was matted to his face, and in his right hand he held his longsword, the one that usually hung above the mantle in our den. He lurched toward our home. I climbed out of bed and rushed to the door calling crying out for him.

Dad had left a fortnight ago, elected by the town elders to venture off towards Cornelia, the northern Kingdom and try to discover why the elements had abandoned us.

I arrived at the old wooden door, and pulled it open. My father, having no strength, crashed to the floor, his sword clattering past me and his helmet rolling to hit the stone hearth of the fireplace.

I dropped to my knees and held his head in my hands. He didn't appear to have any wounds. What was wrong with him? My father whispered these words, "My son... be the warrior you were destined to be, a crystal bearer. End the Chaos. Cornelia."  
And with those final syllables the light in his eyes faded to black and the spirit of my brave father passed from the world.

I tried to make sense of his words. He named the nearest kingdom, Cornelia. One more than 100 miles away, across the Evergreen Fields. What did he want me to do there? But before I could figure anything out the gravity hit me. He was dead. I had lost my only living relative, the man who raised me on his own ever since my mother passed many years ago.

I dropped my head to his chest and began to sob.

Three days had passed since my father collapsed in our doorway. He was buried the very next day by the village elders. I decided to tell no one of his final words, and no one that I had planned to leave our small nameless village.

I was kneeling in the grass before his grave. After a quiet prayer I stood up, my bag packed and sitting in the grass before. My father was six feet deep in the ground. The grave dirt was still fresh and the grass had yet to start growing over. Of course plantlife had stopped growing all together.

"Hey, where are you going, Mr. Warrior!?" An annoyed female voice called out to me.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and turned to regard her. The girl stood several feet from me, clad in a green tunic, and headband. She had thigh-high leather boots on, riding up her long legs. Her blonde hair as well as her bandana's tail flows in the wind behind her. I spotted a sliver of leather under armor under the breast of her tunic. She was prepared for something. No one in the town ever put on armor unless they planned to leave and brave the world outside.

"My name is-" I started to correct her and she cut me off.

"Don't tell me. I don't care. Your father was Warrior to me and now to me you are Warrior. Congratulations on gaining the title."

"Thanks." I respond sourly.

"I didn't mean it like that, silly." She laughed.

I looked into her alluring green eyes, that perfectly matched her outfit.

"What makes you think I'm going anywhere?" I asked.

"You are wearing a breastplate and have a sword at your hip." She pointed out.

She figured me out. I guess I did look like a warrior.

"So may I call you by what you look like?" I asked coyly.

"And that is?" She responded leaning forward and peering at me.

"Thief. You look like a thief. You are dressed like one, and you have daggers hidden beneath your tunic, and one in each boot."

She faked a gasp, opening her eyes to feign shock.

"You have a good eye Warrior, my friend."

"I don't need friends." I said.

"Well, you may need companions. And my father taught me how to... collect things." She circled around me.

"I don't need a thief at my side. You'll only get me into trouble." I said starting to walk past her.

She stepped in front of me and pointed her finger into my chest, "Hey, I take offense to that!"

I stepped around her and continued on down the narrow cliffside path.

"Wait a darn second!" She shouted after me, "You don't have to be so rude!"

The girl trotted alongside me like a child.

"I have urgent business elsewhere, I don't have time to dilly-dally." I tried to explain.

I didn't feel like telling her anything about me. I didn't want to have any connections to the small town, since I didn't ever plan on ever returning.

"You're going to Cornelia, right?" She asked grinning and flashing a pearly white smile.

Her question caught me off guard.

"How do you know that!?" I demanded.

"Only city for five hundred miles. And either way you'd at least have to stop there to resupply before taking the northern bridge.

She then chuckled and said, "Just so happens I am going there too."

"Oh great! So Thief, you wish to tag along?" I asked, starting to feel that darn feeling of hope. In reality having a traveling companion would not be such a bad idea. Monsters were everywhere out there in the wild.

"If you insist, Mr. Warrior." She smiled and skipped off down the hill, calling back, "I just have to go get my stuff. See you at the gate!"

I watched her leave, noticing for the first time she had a rather shapely body, thin and fragile looking at the waist, but the way she moved was smooth and like liquid. There was no doubt she had some kind of training, maybe even more so than my own. And she is quite attractive. Having her along will be nice indeed.

I walked down the slope and towards the gate, looking at things for the last time. The town well, McPatter's farm, and then the stables where a single horse stood.

I stopped as a shout came from beside the wooden barn. I spotted three figures standing outside. One was an old man with an unkempt white beard and the others were two who were robed, one tall and thin, the other short and buxom.

The tall one was a man with blue robes and a tall pointy yellow hat. He began to yell at the girl beside him. She was wearing pristine white robes trimmed in red, and a hood covered her head.

"The horse is mine!" He snapped at her angrily waving his hands at it for emphasis.

"No Black!" She argued, "I paid for it! AND my father was the the head priest at the chapel so that means I should get it!"

"How does that make any sense? My father fought in the war many years ago! He was a mighty wizard! I need this horse!"  
The wiry looking old man stood between the pair trying to hold them back from each other. The girl turned her head, her eyes landing in my direction.

She called out, "You there!"

I looked around hoping she was looking at someone else. But no one else was around. She was talking to me. With a profound sigh I approached the scene.

"Would you tell Mr. Black Wizard here-" She started.

"Mage! I have not the training to be a Wizard yet!" He cuts in.

She groaned and looked back at me, her blue eyes shining, "Please, you are a brave warrior, please apprehend this fool! The horse is mine. Tell him!"

"I really don't want to get involved." I said, holding up my hands in defense, "But in all honesty you both couldn't have paid for the same horse."

"I did!" They both said in unison.

I looked at the old man with less pity now, realizing his

scheme.

"You're trying to swindle them both aren't you?"

He looked at both of them in turn and they glared at him,

flames burning in their eyes. I was almost sure he was about to explode by their sheer willpower.

"Fine, yes I admit it." He muttered, "But they both gave such good offers."

"Well who gets the horse?" The one called Black Mage

started to complain again.

I walk over to the horse curious of the steed's condition. I was surprised to find it was no fine steed at all. The horse, upon examination was a thin and miserable beast. It was so starved that its ribs were highlighted by its tight leathery skin. Flies buzzed at its behind and one eye was milky white signifying is was blind.

"I am no expert." I said returning to the three, "But I don't believe this horse is of any use to anyone. The poor animal looks as if it has but days to live, and will certainly not be fit for labor."

"What!?" The two mages cried out.

"See we fought for nothing, White." The man said, bowing

to her in apology.

"Well then use a dweomer of some sort and turn this horrible man into a toad." White said pointing at the old man, her finger shaking with anger.

The man jumped and was so scared he shoved his coin purse forward, "Take it! Just take it! You will find the price you both paid within! Just please, do not turn me into anything, especially unnatural!"

I grabbed the coin purse as he ran away to the barn and hid. I counted the Gil out and it equaled out to 200. So I divided it up 100 a piece.

"Thanks!" White mage said, hopping forward and giving me a tight hug.

I can feel myself blushing. She was not an overly attractive lass, but she did have beautiful red hair, and seductive looking lips.

"Yes, thank you." Black Mage said, "It would have been terrible to have been halfway to Cornelia just for the beast to keel over dead. I do not think I could make the journey like that. Too many beasties, you know."

"You're going to Cornelia too?" White asked nodding.

I started to slowly back up, fearing they are both about to turn on me and invite themselves on my journey.

"Wait, Warrior man." Black stopped me in my tracks, "You look as if you are geared up for travelling. Might it be possible you as well are heading to the grand kingdom of Cornelia?"

I shake my head, "I-"

"Yep, that's where we are going!" Thief's voice called out as she wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me down to knock on my helmet that had belonged to my father.

"Oh, hello!" White said, "You can call me the White, since that's what everyone calls me anyway."

"And I, m'lady am the world famous Wizard-"

"You just said you were a mage!" White cut him off, "I call him Black Mage. And he isn't famous at all. In fact I don't think he has ever set foot outside this village."

"Well thank you for ruining my grand introduction you whelp. Do you even know the smallest of healing spells? Perhaps a Dia spell to harm undead monstrosities?"

"No..." She admitted embarrassed, "But do you even know how to cast a Fire spell!?"

"Well, I uh... well, you see that... is why I am travelling to Cornelia. For training, you see."

"Suuure." White Mage giggled, "Well then, we should all travel together!"

"Yes," Black Mage coughed, "For safety reasons. I wouldn't want either of you to get hurt."

"What are you going to do? Hit a goblin with your stick?" White burst into laughter.

"And what do you use?" He sneers.

"A hammer, see?" She shifted her robe to the side revealing her curves. I tried to keep my eyes on what she was trying to show us and not her chest. The girl had a hammer hanging on her belt that looked more like a meat tenderizer than something that would do harm to a creature in the wild.

"Yes, let's all travel together! It will be like a party!" Thief cheered, "Isn't this great?"

She turned to me and smiled.

"Yeah, sure..." I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" She asked.

"Oh I said, yes wonderful." I forced a smile.

"Well we don't have horses, so it looks like it's on foot." I told the group.

"How droll. I detest walking long distances." Black said sighing.

"Yes, well there are no other horses in town, so we have no choice, unless you can conjure us a few?" White continued to poke fun at his inexperience.

He glared at her from under his huge hat, "I am merely concerned that monsters will attack."

"Well, the warrior guy here has a sword, see it's on his hip, and this girl, she seems to have a couple daggers." White told him.

"More than a couple." I said.

"Yes, way more. I have daggers in places you wouldn't even-"

I hold up my hand, keeping inappropriate thoughts away by stopping her right there.

"Alright, well look if we don't leave now we will be leaving at nightfall and that is not a wise decision. We have one hundred miles ahead of us." I tell uncanny group.

"Yes, let's go." Thief cheered.

I turned and walked toward the exit of the town looking at the long field ahead. I knew why I was going to Cornelia, but I still did not know, nor I guess should care why my new companions were truly going there. I planned to go no further with them after arriving in the great kingdom... but of course I have no idea what to expect in the city. I had never been there before.

I put my hand in my belt pouch and squeezed the crytsal within, reminding myself what kept me safe. I decided not to tell the group I had no real experience with a sword at all, and that my father was the actual expert warrior.

With that we walked down the road, side by side by side by side. Seeing the smile on the face of Thief and the determined look on White Mage's face I felt confident we would make it. I couldn't see Black Mage's face with his collar raised, and his hat casting a dark shadow over his eyes, but I was sure he was just as ready to go. I actually smiled as birds flew off into the distance and the day looked beautiful. The journey had just begun.


End file.
